Breaking Financial Barriers
Whether you finance your legal education through loans or a combination of loans and scholarships, law school is a sound and fulfilling investment in yourself and your future. Catholic Law is pleased to be able to offer a variety of scholarship opportunities to our students.
Nicolas Valderrama '21
“It was the kindness, diligence, and support of the people in the Law School administration that gave me a taste of the type of community that the Law School had to offer. At that point, I realized that I wanted to be part of the Catholic Law community and started trying to find ways to give back for all the help I was receiving.”
Merit-Based Catholic Law Scholarships
Important Note: The following statements provide general information and guidance about scholarship programs for law students. Specific policies with respect to individual scholarships may supersede the following information.
All J.D. students are considered for merit-based scholarships during the admissions process. No separate application is required. Generally, the awards are offered at the time of admission. Typically, the award amount offered for the first year of study is renewed annually, for the normal duration to complete a J.D. degree, subject to any conditions required for renewal. Awards are disbursed in six (or eight, for part-time enrollment) semester-based equal installments.
Full-tuition scholarship awards may be used for summer sessions, but the total amount awarded over the normal duration of enrollment may not exceed the amount that would have been awarded based on six (or eight) semester-based awards.
Adjustments to scholarship amounts may be made if a student officially changes enrollment from our full-time (“Day”) program to our part-time (“Evening”) program and vice-versa, with the intention that the percentage of scholarship awards to total tuition costs remain constant.
Students who return after a leave of absence continue the scholarship in effect at the time the student began his/her leave. Catholic Law-funded scholarships are available only to students who are enrolled as degree-seeking students and are paying tuition to Catholic Law.
Note: Conditional scholarship retention data is included in our annual ABA Standard 509 Information Report which is found on our ABA Required Disclosures pages.
Alumni Scholarship
Catholic Law Alumni may nominate entering first-year or transfer students for a $1,000 Alumni award renewable for up to four years. Completed Alumni Scholarship Recommendation Forms must be submitted to the Law School Admissions Office and must be received along with all other materials submitted in support of a complete application. Once an admissions decision and scholarship recommendation have been made, adjustments are not possible.
Yellow Ribbon Program
Catholic Law is a proud participant of the Veterans Affairs' Yellow Ribbon Program. This program funds tuition and fee expenses that exceed the maximum amount paid by the Post 9/11 GI Bill®. The VA and CatholicU will match dollar for dollar those expenses that exceed the maximum amount paid by the Post 9/11 GI Bill®. Students who are 100% eligible for benefits under the Post-9/11 GI Bill® may apply to CatholicU’s Yellow Ribbon program. Openings in CatholicU's Yellow Ribbon program vary by school and level and are filled on a first-come, first-served basis.
Special Interests Scholarships
Faculty and program directors, representing various concentrations, coordinate the awarding of specific scholarships. Eligible students are contacted directly by faculty members or a program director. Additionally, several competitive scholarships are offered on an annual basis, for which applicants will receive invitations to apply.
Summer Stipends
Each summer, Catholic Law's students engage in a variety of hands-on professional experiences to further their understanding of the law by developing practical skills through externships. To assist students with their public service or pro bono placements, Catholic Law has summer stipends available to help support students in what are typically unpaid, yet incredibly valuable positions.
BARBRI Scholarships
BARBRI Law Preview, together with leading law schools, law firms, companies, and bar associations, has created an innovative partnership to improve the academic performance of law students. These sponsoring organizations generously fund full scholarships for incoming law students to attend a BARBRI Law Preview summer session so they can learn from the nation’s leading law school professors and attorney lecturers what to expect and how to succeed in law school.
Barbri Scholarships >